Katie Keller
Katie Keller fell for Indiana University as soon as she got on campus.
She was in Bloomington for a swimming camp last summer, working with the Hoosiers coaches, being impressed by what the school had to offer.
“I just thought the facility was so, it was like nothing I’d really ever seen before,” Keller said.
It took a little doing, but she’s going back, ready to be a Hoosier.
The Yorktown state qualifying swimmer will walk on at IU after signing her paperwork earlier this week. She knew she had a chance at the spot through the fall and winter, but had to get accepted and make the final cuts to her times.
She left that summer camp thinking about those times. She’d asked the IU coaches about taking the walk-on route and they sent her off with goals to shoot for.
She stayed in contact through the season, and after the coaches emailed to wish her good luck in sectionals, she sent back her times from the event and asked about walking on.
“They said just let us know when you get accepted to IU and there will definitely be a spot on the roster for you,” Keller said.
That proved a bit of a frustrating process for the state qualifier in the backstroke (she also swam the 50 freestyle and on several relay teams). She had a few issues with a test score, but after talking to the coaches, she was flagged as an athlete, put on a waiting list and accepted soon after.
A quick visit to campus, and her choice was sealed.
“It’s going to be a lot of work, but she’s up for that kind of challenge,” Yorktown coach Laura Hall said. “I think it will be a really good experience for her, pretty proud of her.
“She’s been a real steady swimmer and I think kind of grew into her shape and into who she wanted to be mentally.”
The coach warned the regiment at Indiana will be intense, as Keller is joining one of the top programs in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers contended for a conference title and had a 10th-place finish at the national championships, best among league teams.
Keller admitted she’ll have to put in a lot of work to even make the travel team, and she knows where she stands on the team. But that does nothing to blunt her excitement.
She’ll work out with Cardinal Swim Club through the early part of the summer before eventually heading off.
She had a scholarship offer to stay close to home and attend Ball State, but something about the chance to go big in the Big Ten and the way the staff, including assistant Mark Westphal, operated drew her farther south.
“That was also one of the deciding factors,” Keller said. “They kept in touch, wished me luck and everything. I know they didn’t have to do that, but that really meant a lot to me.”